Why so much hate on Liu Kang?
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posted07/25/2010 10:41 AM (UTC)by
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Sindel_Fan
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02/12/2003 02:38 PM (UTC)
I've been replaying the MK serie for a few weeks now and I've been wondering were all the hat towards LiuKang comes from?

I know his voice is annoying... he's pretty blah compared to other characters. But it seems to me that he's a prefect "hero" for a serie. The "ordinary" guy that's gonna save the world.

Cage, Sonya Blade, Kung Lao and him form a solid group of "normal" earthrealm people willing to put all they have to stop evil.

Liu Kang was for many years a loved kombatant.. and now... It looks like peoiple despise him.

Why?!
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RazorsEdge701
07/23/2010 07:09 PM (UTC)
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I think it's just that he doesn't seem very deep to people compared to guys with much more complex histories like Scorpion and Sub-Zero.

Liu's whole story is "raised by the monks, taught to beat up evil, goes and beats up evil. Rinse and repeat for four games in a row."

Or at least, that's all people see when they look at him. Personally, I've always been kind of a Liu fan and I see more to him than that. Like how in MK1, his finisher doesn't kill people because he's the kind of hero who refuses to kill people...but then in MK2, after the temple is wrecked, he sort of loses that pacifism and gets vengeful. I'd like to see that growth get more attention and be acted out in story mode because it was way too underdeveloped the first time around.

Also, a lot of people dislike his romance with Kitana but I actually think it's kinda interesting, it just hasn't been done right. It's too understated and off to the side, like it was just tacked on. But I think her meeting Liu and his heroism like giving her hope and inspiration to finally rebel against Kahn should be a much bigger plot point.
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Pink_Ranger
07/23/2010 07:18 PM (UTC)
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MK is filled with more compelling villains and a plethora of neutral characters who have received a great deal of screen time and story arcs. That tends to overshadow the hero characters. Liu Kang while being the main hero of the game has been pretty bland in terms of personality. His intentions are noble and he's accomplished a great deal, but he tends to fall a little flat.

With that said, I like Liu Kang. I've always been a fan of the hero and I agree with what Razor said in regards to the very understated romance between him and Kitana.
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firesnake
07/23/2010 07:25 PM (UTC)
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I don't hate Liu Kang but he def needs some change.

He basically hasen't changed at all. He needs new moves and they need to add more to his look.
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XiahouDun84
07/23/2010 07:30 PM (UTC)
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Because he's a boring, bland, lifeless, cookie-cutter character with dull moves and...with the exception of his dragon fatality...crappy finshers.
And despite his painful mediocrity, he was handed on a silver platter the role of "grand unbeatable hero" over far more interesting, developed, unique, and original protagonists.


Sindel_Fan Wrote:
Liu Kang was for many years a loved kombatant.. and now... It looks like peoiple despise him.

That's not how I remember it.

Frankly, I think Liu Kang is more liked now than he was back then. I remember when Mortal Kombat came out, people used to make fun of the kids who used Liu Kang. I remember people wanting him dead and gone since MK2.
No one was lining up to play as the turkey boy who was the only character with a fatality that didn't kill his opponent.

Nowadays, I see more and more people calling him an irreplacable backbone of franchise.
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NS922
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07/23/2010 07:32 PM (UTC)
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I think he's much better off as a zombie.
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RazorsEdge701
07/23/2010 07:35 PM (UTC)
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XiahouDun84 Wrote:
I remember when Mortal Kombat came out, people used to make fun of the kids who used Liu Kang. I remember people wanting him dead and gone since MK2.
No one was lining up to play as the turkey boy who was the only character with a fatality that didn't kill his opponent.


Hrm. Your childhood experiences with the games sound very different from mine.

He wasn't exactly the most popular, that was always Scorpion and Sub-Zero, but nobody ever hated or complained about him like they started doing on the internet after he died. Everyone absolutely loved the Bike Kick and Dragon fatality, and thought his noises were funny.
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mortalkombat247
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To Live in silence is to live in fear

07/23/2010 07:39 PM (UTC)
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I think everyone went/is going through the "I hate Liu Kang" phase. I did, but in reality I don't really mind him all that much. He is a good character to fight with and always had solid stories/endings.

If we are doing a revamp of MK1-3 then he needs to be in whether you like him or not. He played such a prominent role in those games that he cant just be left out. Maybe he will become bad, maybe he will save earth again, maybe he will die...who knows..Hell he could become the other half of the DA with Tsung for all we know down the line.

I am very intrigued with how his story will unfold in the game.
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~Crow~
07/23/2010 07:44 PM (UTC)
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It's sort of hilarious to see people say they hate Liu Kang because he's bland and his story never changes, yet those same people love Scorpion to death. I think if you put any disliked character in a ninja suit people would fall in love with them too.
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SEGAmaniac7
07/23/2010 07:47 PM (UTC)
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Cause he's asian and makes annoying sounds when he fights.
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RazorsEdge701
07/23/2010 07:52 PM (UTC)
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~Crow~ Wrote:
It's sort of hilarious to see people say they hate Liu Kang because he's bland and his story never changes, yet those same people love Scorpion to death. I think if you put any disliked character in a ninja suit people would fall in love with them too.


Well now that's a little unfair. Scorpion's overall theme of being driven to avenge himself and his family is a little repetitive, sure, but his direction changes every game or two. They almost let him grow the fuck up and become a hero in MK2/3 and again in Deception.
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XiahouDun84
07/23/2010 07:53 PM (UTC)
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~Crow~ Wrote:
It's sort of hilarious to see people say they hate Liu Kang because he's bland and his story never changes, yet those same people love Scorpion to death. I think if you put any disliked character in a ninja suit people would fall in love with them too.

I hope you're not referring to me, because Scorpion's been dead to me for some time.
Once upon a time, he WAS interesting and his story WAS developing.....but that died a painful death.
RazorsEdge701 Wrote:
But I think her meeting Liu and his heroism like giving her hope and inspiration to finally rebel against Kahn should be a much bigger plot point.

Because women can't make major decisions on their own. They need a big, strong man to tell them what to do with their lives.

Right..?tongue
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RazorsEdge701
07/23/2010 07:53 PM (UTC)
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XiahouDun84 Wrote:
RazorsEdge701 Wrote:
But I think her meeting Liu and his heroism like giving her hope and inspiration to finally rebel against Kahn should be a much bigger plot point.

Because women can't make major decisions on their own. They need a big, strong man to tell them what to do with their lives.

Right..?tongue


I got the idea from YOUR fanfiction, you asshole. tongue
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XiahouDun84
07/23/2010 07:56 PM (UTC)
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RazorsEdge701 Wrote:
I got the idea from YOUR fanfiction, you asshole. tongue

You know, honestly, I have since come to regret putting so much emphasis on the Liu/Kitana romance. At the time, I wanted to make something out of nothing...and in effect, make his death really mean something for her.

But now, when I look at it, I really wish I had toned that dogshit down.
Liu Kang is like the John Cena of Mortal Kombat
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~Crow~
07/23/2010 07:56 PM (UTC)
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RazorsEdge701 Wrote:
Well now that's a little unfair. Scorpion's overall theme of being driven to avenge himself and his family is a little repetitive, sure, but his direction changes every game or two. They almost let him grow the fuck up and become a hero in MK2/3 and again in Deception.


He's not nearly as interesting or complex as people make him out to be. Liu Kang took different directions to defeat the main villains in the first four games, and he was panned for it. It's still "Liu Kang wins" at the end of the day is what people say. Scorpion is still, "I will avenge my family from beyond the grave!" for pretty much forever now. Even his MKA ending (non-canon, but gives an idea of the game's storyline given lack of bios) has the cycle start all over again. Pretty much every "ninja" is beloved, sans perhaps Rain and even he has his fans. People even love "Human Smoke" for some ungodly reason. It's pretty clear the MK fanbase has never, and will never, get over their affinity towards guys in colored ninja costumes.
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XiahouDun84
07/23/2010 07:59 PM (UTC)
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~Crow~ Wrote:
It's pretty clear the MK fanbase has never, and will never, get over their affinity towards guys in colored ninja costumes.

...hence, the demand for Tremor to appear.
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Shohayabusa
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Fare Thee Well

07/23/2010 08:00 PM (UTC)
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Really, i kinda like liu However i can see how some guys will find him annoying esp. his "wah!" sounds. I think thats why most people hate him.

Also his fatality was kinda weak against the other chars. Except when you do it on the pit. Also his sp. moves where to good, that everyone though he was cheep, at least thats what my friends said at the arcade.
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NS922
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07/23/2010 08:00 PM (UTC)
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TheManWithTheGoldenGun Wrote:
Liu Kang is like the John Cena of Mortal Kombat


Why is that? Are you saying Liu Kang has a very large bandwagon fanbase?
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Adam Ronin
07/23/2010 08:07 PM (UTC)
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I love Liu Kang. Always been a fan, to be honest.

Pink_Ranger Wrote

Who is that chick in your avatar?
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RazorsEdge701
07/23/2010 08:08 PM (UTC)
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XiahouDun84 Wrote:
RazorsEdge701 Wrote:
I got the idea from YOUR fanfiction, you asshole. tongue

You know, honestly, I have since come to regret putting so much emphasis on the Liu/Kitana romance. At the time, I wanted to make something out of nothing...and in effect, make his death really mean something for her.

But now, when I look at it, I really wish I had toned that dogshit down.


Well I used to agree with you more before you got all cranky, bitter old man and decided you hate the entire MK1 roster forever.
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XiahouDun84
07/23/2010 08:13 PM (UTC)
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"There cannot live a more happy creature than an ill-natured old man who is neither capable of receiving pleasures, nor sensible of doing them to others."

- Sir William Temple
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Skaven13
07/23/2010 08:16 PM (UTC)
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I can say why I hate him. Because over time the team treats him as a complete joke.
When he first came out in MK1 (and sorta followed in MK2), he was a pretty cool character. His vocal effects were very Bruce-ish, but believable. As years went on, his voice got more and more ridiculous, as well as the sound effects for his moves. His look has been changing to appear (to me, anyways) less and less asian. This seemed to be happening since MK4, although he looked a lot better in MKvsDC (except for that belt...).
For me to be a Liu Kang supporter again, a few things need to change. They need to fix his voice first. Go back and play MK1 (even MK2 to an extent), then play MK3 or (especially) MK4, and you will see what I mean. Update his moveset so he plays more like the agile martial artist he is supposed to be.
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Rastabortionist
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One more ounce will make me feel so great.... wait... now i cant feel my face.

07/23/2010 08:19 PM (UTC)
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I've been wondering who the chick in Pink Ranger's avatar is also. And I dont really like liu kang because he is annoying and bland. I could never see him beating sub-zero in a real fight.
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ZombieMage101
07/23/2010 08:27 PM (UTC)
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I've always loved liu kang no matter what anyone said. I do agree how he could get repetitive but as Crow said at the end of the day, it'll always be Liu Kang wins or Scorpion's seeking revege for the death of his family. I loved how it seeed because Liu was killed by Shang and Quan Chi, nobody could stop the Deadly Alliance. Maybe his fatalities could be better, maybe he could get a little more attention towards his moves and costumes, but at the end of the day, I find Liu as the heart of Mortal Kombat.
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